The original aim of Rep. Crisanta Duran’s bill was to give cities more control in dealing with unruly crowds that flood out of bars and nightclubs en masse at 2 a.m. closing times.

But an array of amendments in recent weeks that changed the hours of when bars could sell alcohol and how cities could implement rules, doomed the bill in the House, causing Duran to step forward Monday to ask lawmakers to spike the measure.

“After having many conversations about this bill, I think it’s time to go back to the drawing board on this,” Duran, a Denver Democrat, said on the House floor before lawmakers granted her request and shot down the bill on a final vote.

The measure would have allowed local municipalities to decide if bars could sell alcohol up until 4:30 a.m. (in Duran’s original bill it was 7 a.m., but amended in committee). Current law mandates all bars and nightclubs across the state must stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m.

“When you mix alcohol and large crowds exiting at the exact same time, that’s when problems occur,” Duran, whose district includes Lower Downtown, said last month[2]. “It’s all about a steady process, as people leave throughout the night and bars close at different times. Everyone isn’t just pouring out of bars all at once.”

A barrage of fights and occasional shootings have plagued LoDo in recent years, and Duran said this is one way to address the problem since all patrons will not remain out until 4:30 a.m.

States including New York[3] and Illinois[4] allow establishments to sell alcohol up until 4 a.m. to accommodate large cities that have vibrant night life scenes.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock[5] and some members of City Council supported the bill.

But an amendment Duran tacked onto the measure last week that allowed local governments to restrict hours of operation for certain establishments, caused key stakeholders like the Colorado Restaurant Association to withdraw support for the measure. In the licensing process, for reasons of “good cause,” local jurisdictions could have been allowed the authority to require certain establishments close before the current 2 a.m. closing time.

“It would have given local governments more discretion,” said Duran, who attached the amendment after speaking to neighborhood groups.

Sen. Lucia Guzman[6], D-Denver, whose district also includes LoDo, said on Monday she “would be glad to see the bill die in the House.”

“I’ve been hearing from businesses in the district that this is not what they want,” Guzman said. “The current closing times work well for them.”